Team N U I T
by Freelance7
Summary: Night rises, a shadow escapes from a shattered moon's light, Umber burnt the trail, leaving only the animal in her plight. Ivory spirit glides across the field, guiding the way, Teal soldier arrives to silence those left before day.
1. Noche

_**Noche**_

_**Artist: Northssketchbook (tumblr)**  
_

Their songs like sirens, the cicadas were in full force, screeching out into the dew-infested morning.

A grumbling child sat near the glowing embers of a dead fire; a finely decorated guitar held in his hands as he reached over to tune the instrument.

Plucking a few strings, he growled and shook his head, pushing some chin-length brown hair from his eyes as he muttered, "Maldito…"

The boy looked around at the palo verde trees, his hazel eyes gleaming in the low light, "If I could only find those demonios gritando, then I could squash them."

"Sobrino!" An exclamation made the kid jump and turn towards the source. A jovial man was approaching him, the town visible just behind him, beyond the yellow leaves of the trees.

The boy sighed, shaking his head. "Buenos días, Tío Ocaso_. _You're up earlier than usual."

"The same could be said to you, Noche." The kid's uncle sat down on a log across from his nephew. He gestured to the guitar in his hands. "I see you are practicing. How goes it?"

A low murmur emitted from the child. "Mal_. _These cicadas are screwing with my focus."

Ocaso gave a brief chuckle, glancing around them. "Sí, sí. They are quite bad in this area, heh? Why not practice at home, then?"

"Nuestra familia, tío_. _They are louder than the bugs."

"Ah, of course. My mistake." Ocaso smirked, watching his nephew tune a bit, then play a bit before tilting his head.

The uncle leaned in. "Maybe I can help?"

"If you can kill these demons, then please help yourself."

A roaring laughter burst from Ocaso as he shook his head. "If only, sobrino, if only. No, no. I was gonna try and distract you myself."

The boy grinned. "Another one of your stories, tío?"

"Como siempre! But I have been saving this one for a while."

This piqued the interest of Noche as he turned his head up from the guitar, resting his elbows on its body. An eyebrow raised.

Uncle Ocaso noted the newly found attention he got from his nephew as he placed his hands on his knees.

"Have you ever heard of the famous hunter Atigrado?"

Noche, his eyes wide with curiosity, tilted his head, "I don't think so."

The uncle nodded. "Hmm, he was very well known in this town, it was his birthplace after all. I remember him from my younger days, when I was just a chico." He emphasized it with his hand, showing how small he was as a child.

Noche glanced at his uncle's hand. "What was Atigrado like?"

Ocaso stroked his chin, glancing aside as he remembered the man. "Benévolo. Kind and gracious. Charitable. Tu madre y mi, with the other children, would run up to him as he came into town from a big hunt and show us the souvenirs of the places he'd been to. Then he'd buy us all a snack, each, and share his adventures."

The uncle continued, observing his nephew's reaction. "He was also quite the flirt. Un rompecorazón, more like. The women would fall for him without fail."

Noche's head picked up a bit at that, brow raised. "Really?"

Ocaso scoffed at his nephew, able to tell what interested him most. "Si, sobrino! However, he never found a woman to settle down with, though I wouldn't doubt it if a few of the townspeople were his bastardos."

Pursing his lips, Noche turned his head down.

"We barely get Grimm out in this part of Mistral, which is lucky for us. But that doesn't keep them from coming every so often. One time, there was un gran monstruo, muy bronco, that attacked the town. All of us feared for our lives...until Atigrado arrived. He walked like...like it was nothing. Once I saw him with his fearless demeanor, I knew we were safe. I also knew that I wanted to be like him."

Silence set forth, letting the story hang in the air.

"And?"

"And what, sobrino?"

"Did you become a hunter?"

A sharp laugh, "Hah! Obviously not. I was already getting roped into the family business when I created that dream. But I built my confidence...that's how I met mi esposa."

"Ah…" Noche's voice trailed as looked off into the distance.

Ocaso smiled, muttering, "But I see it in you."

Cocking an eyebrow, the boy looked to his uncle. "Perdóname, tío?"

Ocaso stood up, dusting himself off. "That's enough for story time. C'mon, sobrino, let's go home. I am sure things have quieted down, and you can practice without the cicadas bothering you."

Narrowing his eyes, the boy nodded and stood up.

He held the guitar by the neck as he and his uncle walked back into town.

* * *

_**Ten Years Later, Present Day**_

"Maldito…"

A low grumble came from a tall man walking through the streets of downtown Mistral. He briefly looked up at the sun; its heat beating down on his body as he cursed his decision to wear darker colors today: black and blue.

Needing to feel the cool air on his skin, he pulled back his cowl, revealing a chiseled, handsome face; clean-shaven and drenched in sweat. Brown hair that was longer up front than in the back clinged to his tan skin, forcing him to pull it aside so he could see ahead.

_And people say looks don't kill, _he thought, giving his own joke a chuckle, only to turn into a loud sigh as he attempted to fan himself.

"Maybe I should try a new color. Blanco? Ehhh, but that doesn't work with my aesthetic."

Lifting his arm, he smiled as the sun shined against the stars depicted on the inside of his cloak to provide a wonderful display of gradience, wavering from light to dark then back.

With this came a glimpse of what he wore underneath: a body-tight leather suit, and a belt full of pouches carrying lockpicks, throwing knives, dust, and the occasional granola bar.

The practicals.

On his hands were gauntlets with the thumb and forefinger uncovered. They were of a peculiar design, but fit in well with his sleeves. On the underside were a variety of metal pieces seemingly unconnected to each other. Besides that, it felt like they carried other mysteries...

Currently he had nothing to do, but walk around and find cute girls; his most favorite hobby during the summer season.

He also didn't know how to cook, which is why he wasn't helping Ivory with grocery shopping.

Not that he wouldn't have offered to help carry the bags, but she was already gone by the time he had come back from breakfast.

So he spent his time on the hunt for beautiful women, of which there were plenty in the city of Mistral. Teammates were included in that, but he considered them off-limits. Especially one of them.

"Stop it!"

Snapping out of his thoughts, the man looked towards the sound of a voice to see a group of four men in the nearest alleyway, each with devious smiles on their face, surrounding a young woman.

"C'mon, cutie. We just want to hang out with ya! Why not give us the time of day?"

The woman was backed against a wall, shaking her head. "No! How many times do I have to tell you? I am not interested in you or your friends."

"But you haven't even gotten to know us! We could be soulmates, for all you‒"

"Do your ears work, güey? She said get lost."

The group of men turned to see a lone cloaked man standing just outside of the alley, his hands behind his back.

The supposed leader of the group frowned. "Who the hell are you?"

He held an arm out to his side to show the stars inside his cloak and pulled the other in front of his chest as he bowed to them.

"My name is Noche De La Capa, third-year student at Haven, y un hombre guapo." He turned his head up as he spoke the last words, eyebrow cocked.

"Oon ohmbray gwapo?" one of them asked.

"Doesn't matter." Noche crossed his arms, shifting his weight to one leg. "I am a hunter-in-training, and you are filthy creeps. I suggest you step away from the lady. For your safety, por supuesto."

The leader chuckled. "For _our _safety? Hunter or not, we outnumber you." He gestured for the group to follow as they exited the alley, circling the tall man.

"Tal vez. However, I have something better."

Noche found himself surrounded, two men behind him, two men in front of him, each more than an arm's distance away. The leader sneered as he and the creep next to him pulled out lead pipes. One hit could do plenty of damage.

"And what would that be?" he asked, raising the pipe.

Noche grinned. "Training!"

"Watch out!" The girl screamed as she saw the men behind him closing in.

Noche threw his arms out, two grappling hooks shooting from his gauntlets with a _poof _before pulling them to either side as they wrapped around the torsos of the two men in front.

With a quick tug they were wrenched into Noche's outstretched elbows, dazing them momentarily before he retracted the hooks. Wrapping his arms around their necks, he pulled them behind his back just as the leader and his friend whacked at him.

Instead, they hit their own buddies and knocked them down. Noche stepped away a bit and twisted around, his fists held up in a combat stance.

He clicked his tongue. "Looks your numbers just dropped a bit, güey!"

The leader looked from his incapacitated men to Noche.

He growled. "You son of a bitch!"

Noche smirked as the leader charged at him. With a flick of his wrists, blades emerged from the gauntlets, connected to small mechanical arms. He grabbed them by the arms as if they were handles. The knives' blades elongated a few more inches in time to block the pipes as the men swung.

He hooked his foot behind one guy's leg and bashed at his chest with his shoulder to trip him. In the short amount of time available, Noche retracted the blade from his now free hand and used it to sucker punch the leader in the cheek, causing him to reel.

Turning his attention back to the guy he previously knocked down, he saw him getting up on his feet. Noche was swift to give two quick jabs to the man's stomach, then a hook to his cheek before pushing him away.

As the leader ran back in, Noche shot his foot out at the man's shin before throwing a punch at his nose.

_Crack!_

"My nose!" The leader nursed his nose as it gushed blood.

"Eh, it wasn't your best feature anyway!" Noche remarked.

Staring at the pained leader, he heard a shout from behind, turning around in time to catch the pipe swung at him. The man holding it grit his teeth as he realized he made a mistake and tried to pull the weapon free.

Noche rolled his eyes before twisting his body, elbowing the man in the face, and aiming his gauntlet at the leader, wrist pointed up.

The pieces of metal on the underside of the gauntlets formed together to create mini-crossbows that auto-loaded a bolt.

Noche clenched his fist, a _clang _reaching the leader's eyes as a tiny bolt penetrated his neck.

He dropped instantly. His friend was quick to show worry.

"What did you do to him?"

The hunter sighed. "Ay, cállate, eh?" he said before shooting the man with the bolt loaded into his other gauntlet, causing him to drop quickly as well.

"Stop!"

A shout interrupted his victory. Turning around, the two men he had previously incapacitated were already standing up, guns clenched in their grubby hands, aimed straight at the hunter.

Noche glanced at the barrels of the two guns and chuckled.

He simply wagged his finger at them.

Before their very eyes, Noche sunk into his shadow. Literally. He descended into his shadow, and was gone.

"Wh-where did he go?"

They looked around, attempting to spot the man and figure out where he could have possibly gone.

As one of them glanced to the other, his eyes widened.

"Behind y-"

An elbow silenced his friend before he could finish the sentence.

The man aimed his gun, about to fire when Noche used his hook to wrench the gun from the man's hands, disarming his opponent. The hunter stepped in to deliver a swift snap kick to the thug's face, knocking him unconscious.

He aimed his gauntlets at the two recently knocked down and shot them both with a bolt to ensure they didn't get up anytime soon.

Noche exhaled deeply. "I told them. For their safety." he said, turning towards the girl to find her staring in fear at him.

His eyebrows raised as he gestured to the men. "I didn't kill them, worry not." He showed her the underside of his gauntlet where the strip of bolts lined up. "Tranquilizers. They'll be out for about, eh, three hours, then wake up with a headache...well, that one will have a bloody nose too." He said, pointing to the leader.

She sighed in relief.

The hunter approached her with a gentle smile. "How are you? Bien?"

She frowned at the language he used, finding it unfamiliar.

"Good?" He repeated.

A look of realization before she nodded. "Uh...yeah, thanks. They just...wouldn't listen."

He clicked his tongue again. "Si...si. I've dealt with men similar to that back in my town. What matters is that you are okay."

She opened her mouth to speak when‒

"Noche?"

A familiar voice called out to him. Turning back towards the street, his eyes flashed in recognition of a fellow teammate.

"Eh? Ivory?"

A small woman dressed in the garb of red cloth and white fur stood on the street with grocery bags weighing down her arms. Her icy blue eyes stared at him in bewilderment before turning amused.

"Being the knight in shining armor for another damsel, huh?"

Gazing at the bodies surrounding him, he chuckled. "Of course! A handsome man such as myself gets into many a situation with beautiful women. You would know, Ivy!"

Ivory frowned and looked away as she stuttered, "W-well Mr. Man, why don't you be one and help a poor girl carry groceries back home?"

He smiled and nodded, brow raised. "Por supuesto!"

Looking back to the girl, he gestured to the unconscious bodies. "Just call the cops and they should handle the rest. Make sure you get home safe. Adios!"

Pivoting on his heel, he jogged over to his teammate, reaching out to grab a large percentage of the groceries.

Ivory grinned in thanks as he took the bags. "I found those tomatoes, by the way."

"Ah gracias, Ivory! Sorry I couldn't come to make it easier."

"I mean you're here now, aren't you?"

Starting their journey to Haven, Ivory observed the dropping sun.

"The other two should be finished with their hunt pretty soon. Let's get back quick."

"Agreed!" He said as the two increased their pace.

Meanwhile, Ivory tilted her head his way.

"Wanna tell me what happened back there?"

"Eh, it's a long story. Maybe over dinner!"

"Sounds good to me. Oh and one more thing," she said, looking to him, but hesitated a second before asking, "Uhm...can you play some guitar when I prepare dinner? I could use some noise while I cook."

Glancing at her in surprise, Noche smirked. "Of course, amiga."

A/N:

Thank you for reading! Please leave comments with feedback as that is what keeps me growing as a writer! As stated, these are going to be short stories in the same vein as character trailers from RWBY. There will be eight, split into two separate works of four chapters each. These will be leading up to the main story. We aren't gonna have a definitive schedule release for these, but we will try to be consistent and at least release them on Tuesdays at 2:00 PM PST. We just want to make sure every short is at it's best before being released.

I would just like to thank a few people. Primarily North Venari for not only assisting in the creation of this series, but for drawing and sketching out the characters. Due to 's not allowing me to post pictures here, you will be able to find them on her tumblr Northssketchbook or her twitter at NorthSketches. I would also like to thank my friends. Lunar and Sarge for being there with me and North to help us in the formation of these characters. Raine for taking the time to read over the story and provide editing assistance. Nakamatoo and Titan Wolf Dog for reading my stories and giving useful feedback. I couldn't have gotten as far as I have without any of these people.

Once again, thank you for reading!


	2. Umbra

**_Umbra_**

"It's too hot for a walk. Can we just go back, porfaaaa?"

The young man looked to his friends, all three of them women: a brunette, a redhead, and a blonde.

"Maybe you shouldn't wear so much dark clothing there, Noche?" The brunette looked over her shoulder at the complaining man.

"She's got a point, _mi amigo._" The blonde one agreed.

An exasperated sigh. "Ehh, it's part of my look. I can't wear white. That's not Noche!"

"Noche's also not akin to dying of heatstroke, is he?" A monotone voice broke through, coming from the girl leading the group through the forest, her hair done up in twin buns. She was a red panda faunus, the tail that swung to and fro a shade of red similar to her hair.

The tall man wiped sweat from his brow. "Y'know, Umbra, I could use a little less lip, por favor."

The short-haired girl narrowed her eyes. "I mean, I kinda expect it from her. Only a little bit, though."

"Cállate, Ivory."

"Yeah, Ivory, _cállate_," The brunette used her best imitation of their friend as she flicked the few teal strands of hair out of her eyesight.

"You, too, Teala!"

"I just thought we could enjoy some nature," Umbra said, stretching her arms out as her golden eyes looked towards the sun shining through the branches.

"I quite enjoy air-conditioning, thank you."

"The breeze is lovely today," Teala exhaled, ignoring Noche.

"Agreed!" Ivory exclaimed.

"I'm surrounded by brujas who just want me dead."

"Fresh air keeps you _alive_, Noche," Umbra retorted, not bothering to look over her shoulder. She could already guess the face he's making.

"I don't believe you."

"Doesn't make it any less true!" Ivory smiled at him.

His hazel eyes looked away at the trees they passed

"Supongo, I can enjoy it...for now."

Ivory clasped her hands together in an effort to emphasize her excitement. Her smile always seemed to win over Noche.

A brief smile flashed across Umbra's face. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Teala walking alongside her.

Teala was peering at the two behind them before her eyes flitted towards Umbra. "Are you okay? Not too hot?"

Umbra looked to her friend. Teala forwent her usual cropped coat, leaving herself in a white buttoned shirt, the small tie she always wears dangling loose around her neck.

Checking her own clothes out, Umbra didn't think it was too bad for hot weather. A full-body skin suit that ran from her neck to her feet, covered in a mix of mostly black and striped golden colors. Over that, she wore a black hooded vest, black shorts, and running shoes.

At a glance the short, red scarf would seem overdressed the weather. However, the worn, threadbare fabric could no longer keep in any warmth. Now it was merely for having the right look.

"I feel fine," she mumbled, looking back to Teala, "Thanks."

The brunette smirked, reaching over to pat her on the shoulder. "No problem‒"

Teala immediately picked her head up, frowning.

"Mm...Teala?"

Her friend held up a finger. "Do you hear that?"

The group stopped, Ivory and Noche just as confused as Umbra.

Turning to the forest ahead of them Teala pointed to a writhing mass of dark creatures. As they advanced through the dimmed light it appeared as though they were making the forest itself darker.

"Grimm."

At the name, everyone kicked into gear, retrieving their weapons. Noche's gauntlets were already at the ready, Ivory's axe was racked, and Teala's lever-action rifle was fully loaded.

Umbra reached behind herself, where holsters hung from her lower waist, unsheathing a pair of slightly oversized tonfas. On the ends closer to the handles were the heads of roaring creatures; one a tiger, the other a dragon.

"Haven said the forests were safe today! Why are there Grimm?" Ivory shouted, looking to her team.

Noche shrugged. "I don't know, maybe they missed something. It doesn't matter. We're huntsmen, let's just deal with it."

"Got it!" Ivory smiled, unslinging her weapon and charging at them. As she neared a Beowolf, she jumped, swung into its neck, and pulled the trigger of her weapon to blast the Grimm behind it, using the recoil as further force behind her slice as it cleaved clean through the Beowolf's neck.

With that, the rest of the team followed suit, slicing and shooting their way through the Grimm.

Umbra twirled the tonfas in her hands, the trademark sound of rushing wind audible as she dashed in with closing both sticks between a Beowolf's skull, crushing it to pieces.

As the creature disintegrated, Umbra jerked her arms back. Though they may look like ordinary tonfas, the weapons she held were much more than that. Every time she swung, air would collect inside the tonfas before being pressurized and contained, waiting for her to use it.

As the next Beowolf came charging in, Umbra jabbed the close end of her tiger into its abdomen, then threw an uppercut with her dragon.

What was peculiar was that these hits didn't push the creature away as they normally would. Instead, the creature was pulled in by them through the power of Umbra's semblance, allowing her to keep the beast there so she could deal more damage without moving.

Delivering several more jabs, eventually she hooked the end of one tonfa behind its head, pulled it into a knee strike. Falling to the ground, the beast had no time to react as she stomped its face in.

She was about to move on to the next one when a shrill scream pierced the air, followed by a shout.

"Ivory!"

Turning towards the source of the noise, Umbra's eyes widened.

_What?_

She saw Ivory standing there, bow-legged, looking down at the large gash cut through her clothing, staining her white fur coat red.

The girl Umbra saw as the kindest of their bunch fell to her knees, the light that filled her kind soul snuffing out as she descended, her axe dropping from her twitching fingers.

_No..._

"Ivory!" Noche shouted again, running over in a state of panic, only for the swipe of an unchecked Ursa claw to catch on his throat and rip it from his neck. He collapsed quickly, coughing up blood as he turned over onto his back to reach out to the beast like he was attempting to stop it from lifting its foot and dropping down on his head with a sickening _crack_.

_Not this…_

Teala, her mind a scramble from the chaos, looked to her two teammates' corpses, then to Umbra, her own yellow eyes widening as she opened her mouth to call out to her.

Her back suddenly arched, a shriek releasing instead of words. Glancing down, the ends of claws were pierced through her stomach. With shaking arms, she dropped her gun, letting it clatter to the floor as she extended a hand to her only living teammate.

_Not again..._

Her voice was weak, nearly a whisper. "U-Umbra...he-help, p-please."

The Grimm started...to laugh?

Devoid of joy, but full of dark amusement.

Teala was then thrown upward, her back slamming against a tree before descending back to the earth, crashing against the ground, her eyes now unmoving as blood leaked from her lips.

_Why aren't I doing anything?! _

Looking down, she realized that not only could she not move, but her weapons were gone, leaving her to stare at her small, empty hands. In fact, her clothing had changed. She was in a dress, like the ones she would wear when she was…

Turning her head back up, she saw that she wasn't in the forest near Haven anymore. She was in a place that she swore she could remember, yet so far from her memory.

"Umbra…"

Her eyes became transfixed on a woman, lying where she saw Teala, reaching a hand out to her.

The woman looked familiar; burnt red hair, golden eyes, and a tail similar to her own.

Her breath caught in her throat. Of course she looked familiar.

Who would forget what their older sister looked like?

"Umbra, please...help."

The little girl couldn't speak, couldn't shout for help. She was paralyzed in fear. Tears welled up in her eyes, sliding down her cheeks as the place she once called home was in ruins, and the people she once called family were torn apart in front of her.

Eventually, she felt the shock let her go, allowing the poor faunus to drop to her knees, and release a blood-curdling shriek towards the gods.

Asking for help, pleading for it.

After all, she couldn't help them.

She was nothing but a weak girl.

Intent on watching her family die.

Good.

For.

_**Nothing. **_

* * *

A sharp gasp as the girl shot up in her bed, covered in cold sweat.

_Ivory! Noche!_

She looked to her right, seeing, in the moonlight's illumination, a short woman, and a tall man, lying in their own beds nearby, peacefully slumbering.

_Teala! _

Looking to her left, she saw the taller woman asleep as well.

Turning back towards the far wall, a barely audible sigh emitted from Umbra. She closed her eyes and shook her head.

The sounds of shifting came from her left, as Teala's breathing changed.

"Umbra?"

Looking back at her teammate, Umbra's face showed nothing was wrong. "Yes?"

"You okay?"

The faunus nodded. "Yeah."

"You sure?"

Another nod. "Yeah…"

Umbra could feel Teala's yellow eyes on her, examining her. What felt like hours was only a few seconds as she sighed.

"Alright. Go back to bed. You still wanted to go on that hike, right?"

Her eyes widened briefly, but she was quick enough to control it so that Teala couldn't see. "Yes. Of course."

"Then get some sleep. We'll need our strength."

"Right," she said, watching as Teala turned over in her bed.

Umbra lied back down in hers, staring at the ceiling.

_It will never happen...never. _

_And if it started to, _she thought as she closed her eyes, _I will never let it happen._

* * *

_**That Morning**_

"How about you wear something less...dark, Noche?"

The man frowned at the faunus. "But...but my-"

"Well we aren't trying to be stealthy here. Keep the gauntlets, just...take off your cloak at least."

Looking down at himself, he sighed and threw off the cloak, hanging it by the door. "Ay dios mío, fine."

"How are you going to function without us, Noc?" Ivory teased, resting her fists on her hips as she beamed at him.

Teala glanced to Umbra, who returned the look, flashing a brief smirk.

The brunette clapped her hands. "C'mon, guys. We are wasting light. It's a beautiful day, let's enjoy it! Before the busy day we all have tomorrow...sans Noche."

"Ay!"

"Just...let's go." Teala ordered, gesturing to the already opened door.

* * *

Walking out into the courtyard of Haven, Teala sidled up to Umbra, hands held behind her back, while Ivory and Noche bickered about something.

"Hey, Umbra. You sure you're okay?"

The faunus looked to her friend, tilting her head. "Why do you keep asking?"

"Something seems, I don't know...off about you. I mean, I know you don't talk much anyway, but you've never been _this _silent. Are you sick? Need Ivory to get some medicine?"

"I have some in my pouch!" The short woman shouted jovially from the back.

Umbra flashed another smile, and shook her head. "I appreciate the concern, but I'm fine. Nothing to worry about."

Teala stared at Umbra a minute longer, then sighed. "Alright. But if you want to talk, I'm always here for you."

Umbra really did appreciate her teammate. They've been together ever since meeting on their initiation. Sure, she was a bit closed off at first, but over time she found herself being more open to them.

They were her team.

She would do anything to protect them.

* * *

"Well, if you want those tomatoes so bad, why don't you come with me tomorrow?"

"I'll think about it, Ivory."

An attempt at a growl came from the girl as their group had made it a good distance into the forest. Nothing bad had happened, so Umbra was less on edge than before.

Teala chuckled, glancing behind them at the two.

Umbra's breath caught in her throat, but she coughed it out.

"You okay, Umbra?"

She looked to her friend. "Yeah. And my tail is fine, don't worry about it."

Teala smirked. "You know me too well, I was just about to ask‒"

The woman stopped dead in her tracks.

"Teala?" Umbra felt her heart rate jump. _What? No…_

Umbra gazed ahead to see a gigantic Ursa, visible in the sunlight. She spoke before Teala could.

"Grimm."

_Please..._

At the name, everyone kicked into gear, retrieving their weapons. Noche's gauntlets were already at the ready, Ivory's axe was racked, and Teala's lever-action rifle was fully loaded.

_I can't let it happen! _

Umbra reached behind herself to the holsters that hung from her lower waist, unsheathing her tonfas, and twirling them a bit.

"Haven said the forests were safe today! Why is there a Grimm?" Ivory shouted, looking to her team.

Noche shrugged. "I don't know, maybe they missed something. It doesn't matter, let's just deal with it."

_I won't let it happen!_

Teala was first to speak strategy. "It's only an Ursa so we just need to group up on-"

"I have him!" Umbra was quick to interrupt as she charged towards the beast.

"Umbra, no!"

The faunus ignored her comrade's cry as she continued, running at the towering beast before her.

Umbra twirled the tonfas in her hands, the trademark sound of wind rushing audible as she slid under the Ursa's swinging claws, missing her hair by inches.

Completely sliding under the arc of the attack, she stopped on her knees and turned towards the Ursa, seeing it approaching her friends, all three of them ready to take it down.

_No!_

Setting off in a sprint, she jumped and brought the tonfa handles together, aiming downwards as a huge blast of collected air sending her upwards, clearing the distance between them. She arched her back, raised her arms up high to put her entire body into the action as she swung down upon the Ursa's head, the force of the momentum enough to send the beast to the ground.

Gritting her teeth, the faunus raised her tonfas once again to begin pounding down on the Ursa's head, the rest of her face unchanging from its stoic state as she kept up her assault.

_Never again!_

_Never again!_

_Never again!_

"Umbra!"

She felt arms wrap around her waist and pull her back against someone's chest. Her hands still brought the tonfas down on empty air.

"Umbra, enough!"

The words got to her as she saw that the Ursa had disintegrated, leaving in among rose petals.

She felt two other hands on her shoulders.

"You got her, amiga?"

"Yeah," Teala's voice was close to her ear, calming her, "I got her."

The hands upon her shoulders let go, and footsteps carried Ivory's and Noche's voice away from them a bit.

Umbra looked down at her lap. Her breath was heavy, and she felt a bit weak.

_Never again…_

Leaning back into the person holding her, she felt the arms squeeze her in an embrace.

"It's dead. You killed it," Teala spoke to her, before letting go and standing, "Though you shouldn't have just charged in there like that," she said, holding a hand out to Umbra and helping her up to give her a brief smile.

Umbra nodded. "Right. Sorry."

Teala smirked. "No need. I can get angry at those bastards too. Just make sure you're calm for tomorrow, okay?"

In the background, she heard Ivory talking with Noche. "We'll have to talk to Academy security about this. That could've killed someone."

"Luckily we were here, eh? Well...Umbra, mostly."

"Yeah," she said with a slight chuckle as she turned to Teala and Umbra, "Guess you two have some work to do tomorrow, huh?"

Teala scoffed. "It's a single Beowolf that's near the city, not the Academy. I believe it is you who will be the busy one. I saw that grocery list."

"Well, if _someone_ decided to come, I wouldn't be that busy."

Noche frowned. "Are you talking about me?"

Ivory sighed, rolling her eyes.

Teala chuckled and looked over her shoulder to see Umbra standing by, staring at them.

The human smiled at the faunus, then gestured for her to come over.

They were a team, after all. And a team always sticks together.

Like family.

A/N:

Thank you for reading! Please leave comments with feedback as that is what keeps me growing as a writer! As stated, these are going to be short stories in the same vein as character trailers from RWBY. There will be eight, split into two separate works of four chapters each. These will be leading up to the main story. We aren't gonna have a definitive schedule release for these, but we will try to be consistent and at least release them on Tuesdays at 2:00 PM PST. We just want to make sure every short is at it's best before being released.

I would just like to thank a few people. Primarily North Venari for not only assisting in the creation of this series, but for drawing and sketching out the characters. Due to FFnet's not allowing me to post pictures here, you will be able to find them on her tumblr Northssketchbook or her twitter at NorthSketches. I would also like to thank my friends. Lunar and Sarge for being there with me and North to help us in the formation of these characters. Raine for taking the time to read over the story and provide editing assistance. Nakamatoo and Titan Wolf Dog for reading my stories and giving useful feedback. I couldn't have gotten as far as I have without any of these people.

Once again, thank you for reading!


	3. Ivory

_**Ivory**_

Alone.

In silence a young girl knelt, few rays of sunlight cascading down upon her, breaking through the otherwise dim room. Her lips were parted in breath, but no words were uttered.

She dreaded this part of the ritual.

In fact, she dreaded every part of the ritual.

This part, however, scared her.

For in this segment of the ritual she was separated from the rest of the village, given time to herself, left to her thoughts.

Time to really think her decision through.

And she was scared to go back on it. She didn't want time to think. She wanted to get this over and done with as soon as possible.

The silence was hostile, threatening even. It was trying to tell her to go back on everything and end this ritual right then and there. End the torment.

_You could get killed, _it said.

_Just be a village healer, _it said.

She closed her eyes in an attempt to shut out any more encroaching thoughts.

_No, _she thought, _I want to do this! I want this more than anything!_

Opening her eyes, she looked up to one of the windows; her icy blue eyes, and platinum hair shining bright within the small bit of light.

_How much longer will this take? _

As she began to feel like she was about to lose it, the door opened and a group of elders entered the room. They were followed by a younger couple who gazed at the girl kneeling. Both had varying degrees of worry written across their faces. Like the girl, everyone was wearing colorful and warm clothing.

The girl looked at the couple and gave them a small smile before turning to the elders with eyes wide; curious, nervous, awaiting their words.

The one in the center, an elderly woman, stepped forward. She stared down at the young woman. Her voice was brittle, but contained authority.

"Ivory Noaldi. We have given you plenty of time. Are you still—"

"Yes," said Ivory, interrupting her superior with a light voice heightened by absolute certainty and determination.

The elder stared at the girl, narrowing her eyes, searching her soul for any hint of doubt.

Ivory saw her wrinkled features relax. She smiled.

The room fell silent for only a moment. One of the elders, a man with a long beard, spoke next, his voice gravelly, "We will now begin the rite of oaths. With these you will promise not only us, but the spirits as well, to commit your life to this village. Are you ready?"

Ivory's smile vanished. "I...I am, Patriarch Redwood."

"Then we shall begin."

The girl took a deep breath, trying to keep it together. Gritting her teeth, flexing her outstretched fingers. She was ready.

"Do you swear to uphold the values of the village while you are away?"

"I do."

"Do you swear never to quit your training?"

"I do."

"Do you swear to keep in touch with the spirits?"

"I do."

"Do you swear to return to this village after your training is complete?"

"I...I do."

"And finally, do you swear a greater loyalty to your village, and to cut ties with your future team once you are finished with your training?"

She felt her teeth automatically clench. Her eyes closed.

Apparently she waited a bit too long. "Miss Noaldi‒"

"Yes, I do."

The elders glanced at each other, then back to the girl.

The woman in the center spoke next, "Now, Miss Noaldi, you are aware of what occurs if one were to violate the oaths taken?"

Opening her eyes again, she looked straight at the Matriarch. "I am. I shall forever be banished from the Reilu and my connection to the spirits will be automatically severed."

"Correct," the old woman offered a gentle smile to the young girl, "I am sure you will become a wonderful huntress for our village."

Ivory gazed down at her knees. "Yes, Matriarch Delft. O-of course."

"To finish off the ritual, we will give you a bracelet; made of soft reindeer leather, broidered with pewter wire and a button made of reindeer antlers."

She looked up at the Matriarch as she pulled the bracelet from her robe and continued speaking, "This bracelet serves as a reminder of the oaths you swore today so you shall never forget your promise. Ivory Noaldi, please hold out your left hand."

Another deep breath. The girl nodded and held out her pale, slender hand.

Leaning forward, Matriarch Delft slipped the bracelet onto Ivory's wrist, letting it slide a bit before stopping halfway down her forearm.

The Matriarch smiled at the girl. "Congratulations, Ivory. You have just started on the path toward becoming a huntress. Make sure you do well in your studies."

Ivory absentmindedly nodded, not hearing what the older woman was saying.

Instead her ice blue eyes stayed on the bracelet, staring at it with what looked to be despair.

Despair and loneliness.

* * *

_**Present Day**_

_Soft reindeer leather, pewter wire, and reindeer antlers. _

_A pity for that animal to die just so I can be enslaved by oaths. _

Ice blue eyes stared at the bracelet wrapped around the young woman's pale wrist as she thought of its purpose. Its divine purpose.

_Divinely rotten and cruel. _

And yet she has no intention of breaking it. She had seen what happens when someone did.

_Poor Ms. Delft..._

"Excuse me, Miss Ivory...is everything alright?"

Ivory's head snapped up at the sound of her name bringing her back to the now. She found herself at a market stall in downtown Mistral. One she frequently visits for groceries.

She glanced at the market stall owner. "Oh!" She exclaimed, chuckling before tucking some of her short, pale blonde hair behind her ear, "Sorry! Uh, yeah...yeah, I'm fine. Just got lost in my thoughts. The usual thing." She explained, giving her normal smile: wide and bright.

The man behind the stall nodded. "Of course, I get that all the time, and my husband hates me for it!"

Another chuckle. "Yeah, sorry again. Anyway," she said, looking at the bag in her left hand to see a red fruit inside, "Tomatoes, right! So, how much for this amount?"

"Oh no, you already paid. That bad of a space out, huh?"

Blinking, Ivory saw the lien in the man's hand. "Oh...heh, guess so." She put the bag of tomatoes in one of the larger bags she was carrying with her right hand, then shifted a few of those over to her left, "Well, I better get going. My teammates can get riled up when I am late cooking dinner."

"Okay. Tell Teala I said hi!"

As the young woman turned to walk away, the tassels of her red pelerine twirling with her, she turned her head back and nodded. "Of course!"

Continuing on her way, she suddenly froze in her tracks as she nearly bumped into someone. She took a step back to apologize. "Oh, sorry!"

The man she almost ran into towered over her, though given her height, that wasn't much of an accomplishment. He wore flowy robes along with a coat and sash covered in patterns she's only seen on people from Vacuo.

He wasn't smiling. Instead the rouge eyes he carried stared at her. His hand rested on the pommels of dual swords held within a scabbard.

She offered a smile.

He replied by walking away.

Ivory tilted her head as she watched him leave. She wondered if he disliked her tribe. There were plenty of those around Mistral.

"Hm...strange guy. Weird clothes, too."

Continuing her walk, she realized that she was one to talk about clothing. Her own clothes were modeled after that of her village.

A white fur coat with red and brown lining the buttons, which went down her sternum. This lining was also found around the high collar of her coat with little bits of white fur poking out the top as well as down her sleeves from her shoulders. These ended at just after the elbow in red cuffs where a single brown line cut off what would be a perfect reunion.

A red and brown belt was wrapped around her waist, letting some of the fur surround her hips before there came a blue skirt that went just below her knees with red lining the bottom. For leggings she wore dark blue pants and white fur boots. A red ribbon was tied around her wrist for accessory.

In addition, she wore the strap of her weapon Maderakka, which looked to be a plain splitting axe, across her body. It dangled behind her with every step.

Admittedly, at Haven it wasn't too big of a deal. Everyone wore their unique clothing unless it was class time. Then they wore the standard uniform.

At the thought of class, she sighed.

_That's right! The school year is coming soon. More classes, more boring studies. At least I'll finally be able to meet Teala's brother! _

She smiled at that, knowing how much her teammate talked about her little brother.

"Stop, thief!"

Her head picked up at the shout, looking towards the source to see a man running through the marketplace with a bag in hand, being chased by another man

They were running towards the intersection she was at. Knowing what was going on, she smirked and she held a leg out.

The thief laughed, peering over his shoulder as he was getting away with the stolen goods. "Hah! Catch me if you can, you‒wah!"

Suddenly he tripped over something and slammed against the ground, his bag opening to let dust crystals tumble out across the floor.

"What the fu…" he trailed off as he pushed himself up to his knees and looked over his shoulder to see what tripped him.

A young woman gently laid down some grocery bags to the side. She turned around and waved at him with a grin.

"Guilty as charged!" She shrugged.

The store owner caught up and bent over to regain some breath. "Got you! Thanks, young lady."

Ivory curtsied. "My pleasure!"

Glancing between the two, the thief grabbed the bag and stumbled back onto his feet, reaching into his jacket to pull from it a revolver. The crowd around them gasped as he aimed it towards the store owner and Ivory.

"This is mine! You hear me?!"

Ivory frowned. "Well that's just stealing."

"Shut up!" The man jabbed the gun in her direction before aiming it at the store owner then back at Ivory.

She seemed to whisper something.

"What was that?" He asked with the gun shaking in his grip.

"_It's me." _A silky smooth voice spoke in his ear, causing him to jump and aim the gun at the person next to him.

Only to find no one there.

His eyes wide, he turned back to‒

The thief's wrist was seized and lifted quick enough for him to react too slow as he shot a bullet into the air. His arm was then twisted, earning a grunt in pain from him, before he felt himself be pulled into an elbow, bashing his face.

The force was so great he let go of the gun to reach for his head, nursing it as he looked ahead to who did that.

The young woman was already walking away from him while flicking the cylinder of the revolver open and tapping the back of it to let the remaining bullets fall harmlessly to the floor in a short burst of _clinks. _

She then spun the cylinder, slapped it shut, tossed it up and grabbed it by the barrel before turning around.

She smiled at the thief and chucked it on a nearby rooftop.

"Now how about we call it a day? I got dinner to cook."

The thief growled, clutching the bag closer to his chest as he reached behind his back and pulled from it a kukri, a weapon with an inwardly curved blade. "You won't be making it to your kids, bitch!"

Ivory put a hand to her chest. "Aw you think I'm a mother. I'm flattered, but no. It's my teammates. For you see..."

She trailed off as she reached over her shoulder and looped the strap of her weapon from around her body, holding the axe in both hands: one wrapped around the handle, the other gripping the metal belly of the haft. The metal looked like it was a guard against blades, used to block so that the wood around it wouldn't chip.

She then pulled the belly of the haft out slightly and down as a barrel emerged from the top of the axe head, she racked what was now the pump of a shotgun, her finger nearing a trigger that flicked out of the grip.

"I'm a huntress-in-training."

The thief glanced between the weapon in her hands and her.

Instead of doing the smart thing, he tried to surprise her by charging at the girl while swinging his kukri at her head.

She ducked under and used the pommel of the axe to hit his back. He shouted in pain, then turned around and watched as she walked to the other side of their little arena while pressing something near the head of the axe. A slab of metal emerged from the back of the head to make it look like a hammer was on the other end.

"Perhaps I didn't make myself clear," she smiled, "Drop your weapon and surrender, _please._ Consider this your final warning." She shouldered her weapon and tilted her head.

"In your dreams!" He said as he went in for another swing towards her body.

Ivory merely sidestepped, flicked a karambit blade from the pommel of the axe, and sliced at his wrist.

The thief yelped and dropped the kukri to nurse his wound, the weapon clattering against the floor.

Facing away from him, she kicked at the backside of his leg, forcing him onto a knee.

She pivoted on her heel, hooked the hammer's underside around his head and pulled the trigger of her gun.

_Bang! _

The recoil behind the gun propelled his head back into her waiting outstretched knee, connecting with a large _thunk! _

He was knocked unconscious almost immediately.  
The crowd surrounding cheered for the huntress' victory.

Lifting the axe, barrel pointed to the sky, she racked the gun. A shell shot out from the ejector to clack against the floor at the same time as the thief's incapacitated form.

Pushing the pump back into the haft, the barrel and trigger retreated into the weapon along with the karambit blade. She pressed a button near the head of the axe to make the hammer pull back in.

Throwing the strap across her body, Ivory crouched down and picked up the dust crystals. Once all were collected within the thief's bag, she stood up and held them out to the store owner with a smile.

"Thank you!" The store owner graciously accepted the bag back and bowed to her, which she returned.

"It was a pleasure! It's nice to take out a criminal every once in a while."

"Please let me pay you!"

She waved a hand off. "No need. Why should you pay me for doing something the authorities do? The fun was all I needed."

The store owner nodded. "Thank you-uh...what's your name?"

She walked over to the grocery bags and picked them up while flashing a bright smile. "My name is Ivory Noaldi. From Team NUIT."

"Thank you, Miss Noaldi! Please stop by my shop whenever. I'll give you a discount!"

She chuckled as she walked past him. "I accept the generous offer. I'll try to come by when I can. Now, if you don't mind, it's getting pretty late." She said, looking at the sun as it descended close to the horizon.

"Of course. Again, thank you, Miss Noaldi."

"Again, my pleasure!" Ivory exclaimed before exiting the marketplace.

Once she was a few steps away, she glanced to her right. "Thanks, Maize."

"You're welcome, dear Ivory." The silky smooth voice returned as what looked to be white smoke suddenly came together to form the transparent figure of a woman, smiling at the young woman. "I was a bit worried for your safety there."

"Don't be. He was a small-time criminal, plain and simple. He knew nothing of actual combat."

"True, but one slip up, and‒"

"And we aren't having this conversation. I appreciate your concern, but everything turned out fine."

"Alright. I guess my work is done, then. Bye, Ivory."

"See ya, Maizy."

The woman's figure dissipated into smoke, leaving the girl on her own.

Ivory rolled her shoulders as the strain of the groceries' weight began to hurt a bit. She wished that someone could help her carry these back.

_Teala and Umbra are probably already back from their hunt. And no doubt Noche is‒_

She stopped as something caught her eye.

A bunch of unconscious bodies surrounding a couple of people. One of them a short woman, the other a tall, hooded man.

The man looked very familiar to her.

"Noche?"

A/N: For any who have stuck through the hiatus, I thank you. Things have been tough for us all, so I hope this can help you through stressful times. One more chapter to go before we move on to the next team of huntsmen, and then we are on to the main story. I hope that you guys enjoy what you read! If you want to see the art that would've been with this piece, then check out the Archive of Our Own version!


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